Public meetings scheduled to discuss Landowner Hunting Permit Program

OLYMPIA - The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will host four public meetings in June and July to discuss the current Landowner Hunting Permit (LHP) Program.

The LHP program is one of five private lands hunting access programs available across the state. The program was introduced to enhance public access to large tracts of private lands across Washington.

Currently, five properties participate in this program, totaling 116,515 acres. All properties enrolled in the program allow public access through the distribution of big-game permits advertised in the Big Game Hunting Regulations pamphlet. There is also a Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission policy that outlines the available permits between WDFW and landowners. That policy can be found online at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/commission/policies/private-lands-access

These meetings are meant to gather information from the public as well as current participating landowners to aid program staff in determining if a change to the program is warranted. The program was last revised nearly 15 years ago.

WDFW has scheduled public meetings for the following locations and times:

• Yakima: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 26, at the Terrace Heights Civic Center, 4011 Commonwealth Rd.
• Ephrata: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 9, in the large conference room of the WDFW Region 2 office, 1550 Alder St. NW
• Dayton: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 10, at the Dayton Memorial Library, Delany Building, 111 S. Third St.
• Spokane Valley: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 11, at the Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center, 1100 N. Sullivan Rd.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission, through a formal rule-making process, must approve any changes recommended by the department as a result of this effort. This will include another round of public input.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is the state agency tasked with preserving, protecting and perpetuating fish, wildlife and ecosystems, while providing sustainable fishing and hunting opportunities.